News By Issue

Archives

Author Archive

Snow-covered mountains, celebrities, and long lines in the streets of Park City can only mean one thing: the 2015 Sundance Film Festival.

The Skoll-Sundance partnership is a natural one. The Skoll Foundation has a long history of storytelling about entrepreneurial solutions to some of the world’s thorniest problems. Sundance has a long history of cultivating a cutting-edge community of filmmakers unafraid to tackle complicated issues. The Stories of Change program, a Skoll-Sundance collaboration, is often regarded as one of the Foundation’s most successful initiatives.

As Skoll Foundation President and CEO Sally Osberg put it, “Sundance Institute, led by Robert Redford, is a leading voice for independent storytelling whose community of world-class storytellers share with Skoll a deep commitment to highlighting injustice and shining a light on solutions to the world’s most pressing problems.”

As Ken Brecher, former Executive Director of the Sundance Institute, liked to say, “It used to be that you went to Sundance to escape the world, now you go to Sundance to learn about the world.”

Of particular note was Racing Extinction, directed by Louie Psihoyos (known for his previous work on The Cove), which gave us an alarming look at the overfishing of sharks and manta rays in Asia, climate change and ocean acidification, and how current trends compare to previous extinction cycles.

Another festival highlight was the latest from Participant Media, 3 1/2 Minutes, which tells the story of the 2012 murder of unarmed teenager Jordan Davis, in Jacksonville, Florida. Davis’ parents spoke following the film screening and delivered a powerful message of racial unity that felt especially relevant in light of the events in Ferguson, Missouri.

Last but certainly not least was the Sundance-Skoll Stories of Change panel which brought together directors Jehane Noujaim (The Square), Orlando Bagwell (3 1/2 Minutes), Laura Poitras (Citizen Four), Jess Search of Britdoc, and Skoll Awardee Carne Ross of Independent Diplomat. The event was massively oversubscribed with lines down the block.

The panel followed recent news that Skoll is expanding our support of the Stories of Change program with a $2.5 million dollar grant, including $1 million that will be used to fund new content that shines a spotlight on solutions to urgent social issues. A video of the panel will be available shortly.

New to the program is the inclusion of support for non-documentary feature films, new media initiatives, and new forms of media. One of the big trends we saw at this year’s Sundance Festival was the use of virtual reality technology through systems like Google’s Cardboard and Oculus Rift. While most people associate the technology with gaming, it was impressive to see how developers are using the immersive experience to explore a wide range of social issues, like the conflict in Syria and sexual assault.

It was heartening and clear for all to see that the Sundance community remains committed to bringing awareness to social issues, in the belief that the power of a story well told can change lives and the world. Filmmakers often risk their lives and make huge sacrifices to bring these stories to life. Sandy Herz, Director of Strategic Alliances at the Skoll Foundation, summed it up well: “There’s no better place to find courage than the Sundance community.”

New York, NY (March 5, 2014)—TED and the Skoll Foundation are proud to join in making a unique announcement: each will direct their annual million-dollar prizes to Global Witness. TED will grant its award to Charmian Gooch, Global Witness Co-Founder and Director. The Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship will honor all three Co-Founders and Directors – Patrick Alley, Charmian Gooch, and Simon Taylor – and the organization itself for its extraordinary innovation in disrupting an unjust and unsustainable status quo.

Though TED and the Skoll Foundation separately decided to honor Gooch and Global Witness with their 2014 awards, the organizations are making a joint announcement to highlight the value, merit and distinct contributions of this cutting edge investigative and campaigning organization. For 20 years, Global Witness has run pioneering analysis and campaigns against natural resource-related conflict and corruption and associated environmental and human rights abuses.

“I am thrilled to announce Charmian Gooch as the 2014 TED Prize winner,” said Chris Anderson, TED curator. “That both TED and Skoll independently selected Charmian and Global Witness as recipients of these prizes is a remarkable testament to their daring investigative and campaigning work. The TED Prize is granted annually to an inspiring individual with a world-changing wish – one that Charmian will reveal at the TED Conference in just two weeks’ time.”

TED, the nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading, awards its annual prize to an extraordinary individual with a bold, creative vision to spark global change. The TED Prize leverages the TED community’s resources and invests $1 million into a powerful, world-inspiring idea. 2014 TED Prize recipient Charmian Gooch will announce her wish live from the main stage at the annual TED Conference. The session will be broadcast globally for free on March 18 (6-7:45 pm PST): http://tedlive.ted.com/webcasts/2014

“Social entrepreneurs are, by definition, disruptors. Patrick, Charmian, and Simon’s leadership epitomizes great social entrepreneurship in Global Witness’s quest to expose global conflict, corruption, and environmental degradation, lifting millions out of poverty and protecting the environment. We are delighted to announce Patrick, Charmian, and Simon as among our 2014 Skoll Awardees,” said Sally Osberg, President and CEO of the Skoll Foundation.

“Skoll and TED both connect and showcase inspiring, entrepreneurial, breakthrough innovators. We are thrilled to be working closely with our TED colleagues, who share our mission to catalyze social change.”

The Skoll Foundation presents the Skoll Awards for Social Entrepreneurship each year to transformative leaders who are disrupting the status quo, driving large-scale change, and are poised for even greater impact. Recipients of the Skoll Award gain leverage and scale through a global community of social entrepreneurs and other innovators dedicated to solving the world’s most pressing problems. Global Witness’s Patrick Alley, Charmian Gooch, and Simon Taylor will be honored along with other 2014 Skoll Awardees at the 11th Annual Skoll World Forum in Oxford, April 9-11.

“Everyone at Global Witness is honored and thrilled to receive these two prestigious awards, from two remarkable organizations,” said Charmian Gooch, Co-Founder and Director of Global Witness. “They truly are a rocket boost to our work – making it possible for us to carry out even more cutting edge investigations, report on matters in the public interest, and launch hard hitting campaigns that challenge vested interests and change the system. I’m personally also very excited about the prospect of announcing the details of my TED Prize Wish live from the TED conference in March. This being our 20th Anniversary year, we couldn’t have wished for a better birthday present.”

###

About Global Witness

Founded in 1993, Global Witness is a UK not-for-profit based in London and Washington DC.

Global Witness investigates and campaigns to change the system by exposing the economic networks behind conflict, corruption and environmental destruction. The organization focuses on undertaking hard-hitting investigations into matters of profound public interest that expose the companies, the corrupt, the bankers, the corporate executives, and the middlemen of various kinds who willfully enable corruption to take place on a grand scale. Global Witness reports on these matters, and launches campaigns that change the terms of debate and set the global agenda.

Patrick Alley, Co-Founder & Director, Global Witness

Since posing as a timber buyer in Global Witness’s first investigation into the Thai-Khmer Rouge timber trade in 1995, Patrick has taken part in over fifty field investigations in South East Asia, Africa and Europe and in subsequent advocacy activities. Patrick has focused on Global Witness’s campaigns on conflict resources, notably former Liberian President Charles Taylor’s ‘arms for timber’ trade, the minerals trade in Eastern DRC and more recently the Central African Republic, as well as providing strategic direction for Global Witness’ work on forest issues, especially challenging industrial scale logging and land grabbing in the tropics. In addition, he is involved in the strategic leadership of Global Witness.

Charmian Gooch, Co-Founder & Director, Global Witness

Charmian worked on Global Witness’s first ever investigation into how the illegal timber trade between Cambodia and Thailand was funding the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime. Subsequent to that, Charmian developed and launched Global Witness’s groundbreaking campaign to combat ‘blood diamonds,’ using detailed research and field investigations across Africa and Europe. Global Witness was nominated for the 2003 Nobel Peace Prize for its work on conflict diamonds, and in 2005 the organization received the Gleitsman International Activist Award. Charmian has wide-ranging experience advocating for international policy solutions to address natural resource-related conflict and corruption. In addition, she is involved in the strategic leadership of Global Witness.

Simon Taylor, Co-Founder & Director, Global Witness

Simon worked on Global Witness’s first ever investigation into how the illegal timber trade between Cambodia and Thailand was funding the genocidal Khmer Rouge regime. After that, Simon launched and led Global Witness’s oil and corruption campaign in December 1999, after investigating companies and elite groups involved in this sector. This began the global call for transparency around payments by companies to governments for natural resources, leading to Global Witness’s conception and co-launch of the Publish What You Pay (PWYP) campaign, which now consists of over 790 civil society organisations worldwide. Simon has detailed expertise of natural resource-related corruption and extensive advocacy experience, and continues to be at the forefront of the push for a global standard of revenue transparency legislation, as well as being actively involved in Global Witness’s work to expose corruption in the sector. In addition, he is involved in the strategic leadership of Global Witness.

The first TED Prize was awarded in 2005, born out of the TED Conference and a vision by the world’s leading entrepreneurs, innovators, and entertainers to change the world – one wish at a time. The original prize: $100,000 and the TED community’s range of talent and expertise. What began as an unparalleled experiment to leverage the resources of the TED community has evolved into an ambitious effort to spur global-scale change.

From Bono’s the ONE Campaign (’05 recipient) to Jamie Oliver ‘s Food Revolution (’10 recipient) to JR’s Inside Out Project (’11 recipient) and Sugata Mitra’s School in a Cloud (’13 recipient), the TED Prize has helped to combat poverty, take on religious intolerance, improve global health, tackle child obesity, advance education, and inspire art around the world.

About the Skoll Foundation & the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship

The Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship distinguishes transformative leaders who are disrupting the status quo, driving large-scale change, and are poised for even greater impact. Recipients of the Skoll Award gain leverage and scale through a global community of social entrepreneurs and other innovators dedicated to solving the world’s most pressing problems.

The 2014 Skoll Awardees will be honored at the 11th Annual Skoll World Forum in Oxford, April 9-11. Sign up to watch the live stream from Oxford here.

PALO ALTO, CA, March 5, 2014—The Skoll Foundation today announced the seven 2014 recipients of the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship.

The Skoll Award distinguishes transformative leaders who are disrupting the status quo, driving large-scale change, and are poised to make an even greater impact on the world.

“These are not lifetime achievement awards,” said Sally Osberg, President and CEO of the Skoll Foundation. “These are bets on the people who will create better futures for millions.”

The Skoll Award recognizes social entrepreneurs whose innovations have already had significant, proven impact on some of the world’s most pressing problems, and invests directly in the promise of even greater impact at scale. By investing in organizations when an innovation is ripe for accelerated and scaled adoption, the Skoll Awards help unleash the full global potential and reach of social entrepreneurs.

Each Awardee receives a $1.25 million, three-year core support investment to scale their work and increase their impact. They also gain leverage through their long-term participation in a global community of visionary leaders and innovators dedicated to solving the world’s most pressing problems.

The 2014 Skoll Awardees represent seven organizations partnering with communities in 35 countries that are poised to crack the code on issues that matter the most to humanity.

“Ambition gives social entrepreneurs the vision and the fuel to do good things in smarter and better ways,” said Jeff Skoll, Founder and Chairman of the Skoll Foundation. “As they solve problems ranging from water and sanitation to health and global transparency, social entrepreneurs are driving toward creating a sustainable world of peace and prosperity.”

Driving transformation on a range of issues to maximize health, education, opportunity, transparency, and accountability in some of the poorest places on earth, these pioneers should be on the watch lists of everyone who cares about the future of the world:

Co-founded by longtime friends and colleagues, Jay Coen Gilbert,Bart Houlahan, and Andrew Kassoy, B Lab is fueling a global movement to redefine “success” in business, so that all companies compete not only to be the best in the world, but the best for the world. B Lab is challenging the status quo by building a new sector, legal structure, and standards; empowering a community of certified B Corporations; and advancing public policies that enable companies to create financial, social, and environmental value for both its shareholders and for society. With 20 states having passed Benefit Corporation legislation, nearly 1,000 B Corporations certified, and 16,000 companies using its tools, B Lab is focused on accelerating the global adoption of this new model.

Half of the world’s adult population—2.5 billion people—are “unbanked,” lacking access to financial services. Founded by Belgian-born Yves Moury, Fundación Capital is a pioneer in inclusive finance innovation to help the poor save; grow and invest their assets; insure their families against risk; and chart a permanent path out of poverty. Already reaching three million people, Fundación Capital is working to reach eight million more in the next few years by expanding access to training, capital, and opportunity. Fundación Capital’s efforts to align advances in public policy, market mechanisms, and technology are building momentum and poised to reach 100 million poor families across three continents by 2030, enabling them to make their own financial decisions and live their ambitions.

Every year 14 million girls are married as children, denied their rights to health, education, and opportunity, and robbed of their childhood. Mabel van Oranjehas an inspiring vision of what the world could look like if there were no child brides, and initiated Girls Not Brides with the bold goal of ending child marriage in one generation. Child marriage traps girls and their communities in poverty. By ending the practice, the global community can start to address some of the most difficult challenges in development. Girls Not Brides is a global partnership of more than 300 civil society organizations working across 50 countries. By joining forces and working at all levels—from grassroots to international—members of the global community can tackle this harmful social norm and end child marriage.

“Driving Transparency to Lift the ‘Resource Curse’ of Conflict and Human Rights Abuse”

Patrick Alley,Charmian Gooch, and Simon Taylor know that many of the world’s poorest people live in the most resource-rich countries in the world. Natural resources can incentivize corruption, destabilize governments, and lead to conflict and the looting of entire states. From 2002 to 2011, illicit money flows from corrupt deals in the developing world totaled nearly $6 trillion. Global Witness investigates and exposes the shadow networks underlying these deals that fuel conflict, corruption, and environmental destruction. They collect evidence and launch hard-hitting campaigns to find global solutions and end the “resource curse” by tackling corruption, protecting the environment, preventing conflict, and defending human rights.

One billion people will never see a health professional in their lives. Yet 95 percent of the world’s population has access to a mobile signal. Josh Nesbit’s Medic Mobile was created to improve health in underserved and disconnected communities using communication tools. Medic Mobile builds mobile applications for community health workers, caregivers, and patients to increase life-saving health care coverage. Across 20 countries, its tools support 8,000 frontline health workers and benefit approximately six million people with plans to double these numbers annually for a total of 200,000 health workers serving 100 million people by 2018.

In 2008—for the first time in history—more people were living in urban than in rural areas. Today, more than one billion people live in slums. Founded by a collective of slum dwellers and concerned professionals headed by Jockin Arputham, a community organizer in India, Slum Dwellers International works to have slums recognized as vibrant, resourceful, and dignified communities. SDI organizes slum dwellers to take control of their futures; improve their living conditions; and gain recognition as equal partners with governments and international organizations in the creation of inclusive cities. With programs in nearly 500 cities, including more than 15,000 slum dweller-managed savings groups reaching one million people; 20 agreements with national governments; and nearly 130,000 families who have secured land rights, SDI has been a driving force for change for slum dwellers around the world.

Every five seconds, the world’s urban population increases by 10 people. Everyone needs access to clean water and sanitation, putting a huge pressure on city service agencies. In response, Water & Sanitation for the Urban Poor has turned the traditional charity model on its head by developing commercially-viable models to bring water and sanitation to nearly two million people in urban slums in six countries. Sam Parker, a former business manager, has led the organization since 2006. Offering a creative package of private-sector, nongovernmental-organization, and academic expertise, WSUP equips public and private service agencies with the capacity and incentives to serve all citizens in their city.

Over the past decade, the Skoll Foundation has invested more than $150 million in social entrepreneurs whose transformative innovations have disrupted the status quo, improved lives, and created a new social equilibrium.

The Skoll Award is a major milestone for social entrepreneurs and an investment in solving some of the world’s most pressing problems, including: environmental sustainability, education, economic opportunity, health, peace and human rights, and sustainable markets.

The 2014 Skoll Awardees will be honored at the 11th Annual Skoll World Forum in Oxford, April 9-11. At the Forum, nearly 1,000 delegates from around the world will gather for three remarkable days of sharing, learning, and inspiration. While most delegates are practicing social entrepreneurs, a third of the community is made up of representatives from the public and private sectors—business, finance, media, academia, religion, the arts, philanthropy, and more.

Sign up to learn more and watch the Skoll World Forum live stream from Oxford here.

About the Skoll Foundation

Jeff Skoll established the Skoll Foundation in 1999 to drive large-scale change by connecting, celebrating, and investing in social entrepreneurs and the innovators who help them solve the world’s most pressing problems. Social entrepreneurs are society’s change agents—creators of innovations that disrupt the status quo and transform our world for the better. By identifying the people and programs already enacting positive change throughout the world, the Foundation empowers them to extend their reach, deepen their impact, and drive toward a sustainable world of peace and prosperity.

As part of the CERES 2011 Conference today, global organizations including CALPERS, CalSTERS, Levi Strauss & Co., SAP, PG&E, the AFL-CIO, the Skoll Foundation and others announced specific commitments to catalyze the U.S. global economy by combating climate change. In addition to organization commitments, two dozen investors are sending letters to all of the Russell 1000 companies requesting that their management teams and boards address sustainability issues across their organizations “from the boardroom, to operations and across their supply chains.”

PALO ALTO, Calif.—May 27, 2010—The Skoll Foundation announced today it is committing $10 million over two years to support the Social Innovation Fund (SIF), a new competitive grant program housed at the Corporation for National and Community Service. The announcement was made at a White House ceremony with First Lady Michelle Obama to mark the initial phase of philanthropic commitments in support of the SIF and other investments in innovative community solutions. read more

PALO ALTO, Calif.—March 31, 2010—The Skoll Foundation announced today its most recent investments in social entrepreneurs driving large scale change on critical issues around the globe. Recipients of the 2010 Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship include three organizations – Forest Trends, Imazon and Telapak – working to tackle climate change through innovative efforts to preserve tropical forests in the Amazon, Indonesia and beyond. Also receiving the Skoll Award are One Acre Fund, which provides an integrated approach to empowering rural farmers in Africa, and Tostan, which has developed an innovative method to leverage human rights as a framework for community development. read more

PALO ALTO, Calif. – December 15, 2009 – The Skoll Foundation announced today new investments in social entrepreneurs and other innovators driving large scale change on critical issues around the globe. Peace Dividend Trust, which makes peace and humanitarian operations more effective and equitable to promote durable peace, received the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship, which includes a $765,000 grant. The Foundation also invested $500,000 to support the work of The Elders, a group of eminent global leaders brought together by Nelson Mandela to support peace building, address major causes of human suffering and promote the shared interests of humanity. The Foundation also approved a $2.5 million investment in the Middle East Venture Capital Fund, which will fund information and communications technology companies originating in the Palestinian Territories. Finally, the Foundation renewed its commitment to the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship at Oxford University with a $3.6 million grant, with a focus on developing talent and scholarship in social entrepreneurship, as well as building the Centre’s role as a global hub for social entrepreneurship. read more

PALO ALTO, Calif.—November 2, 2009—The Skoll Foundation today announced that Ben Binswanger will join the Foundation as Vice President, Program and Impact. A long time senior executive with experience in philanthropy, business and government, Binswanger will lead the Foundation’s strategic grantmaking program, identifying and supporting the work of the top social entrepreneurs worldwide who are driving large-scale change on pressing social and environmental issues. As part of the executive team, he will help shape the Foundation’s overall strategy to maximize the leverage of its philanthropic capital. read more

PALO ALTO, Calif. – Sept. 1, 2009 – The Skoll Foundation announced today second round investments in fifteen social entrepreneurs in its portfolio driving large-scale impact worldwide. In addition, the Foundation announced the first Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship in its 2010 round, a $765,000 grant to Civic Ventures, plus investments in two key partners who promote social entrepreneurship and social innovation, Ashoka and ShoreCap II. In aggregate, the new grants and program-related investments total $14,165,000. read more

PALO ALTO, Calif.—April 14, 2009—Jeff Skoll, founder and chairman of the Skoll Foundation and Participant Media, announced today that he has hired Dr. Larry Brilliant as president of a new organization Skoll is launching to address urgent threats confronting humanity and the planet. Brilliant will focus the new organization, the Skoll Urgent Threats Fund, on identifying and supporting innovative high-impact initiatives to combat climate change, water scarcity, pandemics, nuclear proliferation and Middle East conflict. Brilliant will also serve as senior adviser to Skoll to ensure alignment of work on these urgent threats across Skoll’s business and philanthropic activities. read more

PALO ALTO, Calif.—March 12, 2009—The Skoll Foundation today announced Skoll Awards for Social Entrepreneurship for seven organizations working around the world in the areas of tolerance and human rights, health, environmental sustainability, peace and security, and economic and social equity. The recipients, who will each receive three-year grants of $765,000, join the growing global network of Skoll social entrepreneurs, now numbering 72, who are tackling the world’s most critical social and economic challenges.

The Skoll Awards program provides social entrepreneurs who have already achieved significant impact with unrestricted funding to further extend their reach. These new Skoll entrepreneurs have proven their innovations and are delivering results across issues and geographies, including:

Promoting peace in the Middle East by turning a potential source of conflict – water – into a platform for cooperation;

Creating powerful examples of how we can build viable contemporary communities that are environmentally sustainable today;

Connecting microfinance to the issue of water access to drive innovative solutions to the challenge of fresh water scarcity.

PALO ALTO, Calif.—Aug. 26, 2008—The Skoll Foundation today announced additional investments in the inaugural 2005 recipients of the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship, named two new recipients of the Award, and deepened its commitment to building out a global ecosystem to support social entrepreneurs. These new grants total $19.18 million. The follow-on investment in the 2005 Skoll social entrepreneur class is designed to help these organizations further drive systemic change in the regions in and issues on which they work and achieve sustainability. The new award winners, Teach For All (Teach For America) and Apopo, will each receive three-year grants of $1,015,000 and join the growing global network of Skoll social entrepreneurs, now numbering 61, who have created innovative, effective solutions for combating social and economic challenges worldwide. The Foundation has also deepened its relationship with the Santa Clara University’s Global Social Benefit Incubator and with Duke University’s Center for the Advancement of Social Entrepreneurship, reflecting the Foundation’s commitment to supporting the global ecosystem for social entrepreneurs. read more